Theatre cracked my shell

Thanks to the latest Facebook trend of people posting pics of their younger selves, I've been looking at old pics and I have come to this conclusion...I was way too hard on my younger self. I hated myself back then. I was the shortest kid in my class. The skinniest. Bad at sports. The one that got picked on. Now we call it bullying.

I still remember the day I walked into school wearing a new shirt and a "friend" said "nice shirt, two bad you can't fill it out." Instead of thinking "what a jerk," I'd think "more proof I should hide in the basement."

In school, I always arrived just before my class started and try to hide in the back behind my oversized glasses, hoping no one noticed me. I'd constantly wish there were secret hallways in school that would help me get to my next class without having to walk past others.

For me it was theatre and performing that broke the cycle of my lack of confidence. I found a place I could be myself, could excel as something and have others recognize me in a positive light. That encouraged me to excel in other areas and by the time I went to college I had enough confidence to try and push aside the urge to conform in order to fit in.

When I look at picture of myself during those times, I realize I was way too hard on myself. I wish I had discovered that confidence sooner, but I'm glad I found it eventually. Not everyone does.